Kimchi is a spicy and fermented vegetable dish – usually made with cabbage, chili peppers, and garlic among other ingredients.
Héctor Alejandro Arzate/WAMU/DCist
On Thursday, lawmakers in the Rules Committee for the House of Delegates voted 18-0 in favor of a joint resolution to designate November 22 as Kimchi Day in Virginia. The day would officially commemorate the spicy, fermented vegetable dish – which is also celebrated as a national holiday on that same day in South Korea.
While the resolution still has to pass the House floor, the vote has likely cleared the way for it to move towards passage as soon as next week when it makes its way to the uncontested calendar.
The proposal was first introduced by Irene Shin, who represents the 86th district for the House of Delegates in Virginia.
“I think it’s fantastic that we’re starting to celebrate the cultural diversity and the heritage that makes our society and our Commonwealth so great today,” said Shin in an interview with DCist/WAMU.
Shin is a daughter of immigrants, and this year was the first Korean-American woman to be elected into Virginia’s House of Delegates. She says introducing the holiday is one way to celebrate Northern Virginia’s thriving immigrant communities – particularly those of Asian descent.